


Preparation

by Benedicthiddleston



Category: Star Trek RPF
Genre: Christmas season 2011, Gen, THAT SCENE, pre-Star Trek 2 filming
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-02
Updated: 2014-07-02
Packaged: 2018-02-07 02:37:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,477
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1881921
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Benedicthiddleston/pseuds/Benedicthiddleston
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Chris prepares for Star Trek 2 by watching <i>Wrath of Khan</i> and <i>Generations</i>. Zach has a mini freak out over how to successfully approach the impending scenes and how to talk to Chris about said scenes.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Preparation

**Author's Note:**

> Written for [1_Million_Words 2014 July Pool Party](http://1-million-words.livejournal.com/755362.html) \- 1000+ words in a fandom I've never written for. I've wanted to write Pinto for a while now, but never gotten around to it. Liberties have been taken, and timing is probably off and I don't know where Zach was living in Dec. 2011... so... *shrug* Forgive me for inaccuracies!
> 
> In the mean time - Pinto is my real OTP. *le sigh*

**Preparation **

The script had been sitting on his coffee table for a full five days after he’d read it all the way through _once_. His phone sat next to it, absent of all phone calls and texts from _him_.

 _God, this is going to be hard_.

He’d been meaning to contact Chris since finishing the script that they would soon be tackling in front of a camera just after the New Year. Christmas was two days away and Zach knew Chris was busy with family in the current Holiday season. He had no idea if Chris had even read the script yet, let alone had any feelings in regards to two extremely emotional scenes that seemed to be the pinnacle of the relationship between Kirk and Spock.

Zach needed to talk to someone about this. And he knew exactly where to go.

* * *

“JJ says we can’t really talk about it, but – I can’t exactly call Chris about this. He’s – busy.”

Zach sat at the edge of the couch in his friend, Leonard, and mentor’s home, sitting across from him as they both discussed the current predicament. Leonard had already been given the go ahead to have one small scene in the upcoming Star Trek sequel, but didn’t have access to the full script. Now Zach was finding he wasn’t sure how to go about the conversation. Leonard knew about the scene that was coming – it was inevitable. So, really, was he just being chicken?

“There is something about playing such well-known characters that brings the emotion to such a front, especially in real life. I remember when Bill and I shot that specific scene – we’d been through three seasons of TV and a whole movie before getting to this point, and he couldn’t keep it together. I could act like a Vulcan on the outside, keeping the emotions out of the equation, but inside, I was not a Vulcan, I was human. And I was crying with Bill all the same. The friendship you and Chris have already formed in such a short time tells me this won’t be an easy movie, but it’ll strengthen what you already have: an inseparable bond. You will get through the scene and come out stronger. It is likely they will keep it for last – it’s a very trying time for everyone, no matter the universe.”

“I wish they hadn’t even thought it up. Why does it have to be in this movie? It’s only the sequel. What is it going to accomplish? Heartbreak? And Chris – god, I can’t – he’s going to freak out, or – I’m not sure.”

“And yet you don’t want to call him.”

Zach shrugged. “I don’t want to open up Pandora’s box. His emotions are – all over the place. And it’s the holidays. Who wants that kind of news at Christmas time?”

Leonard smiled. “Call him after the holiday ends. You might be surprised. If nothing else, discuss how the scene makes you feel now, and see how he feels. Zach, it won’t be an easy scene – it’ll be emotionally trying and you’re going to fight it each step of the way. But that is what makes you a talented actor – you can imagine yourself as Spock and keep the distance for how the scene must be played out.”

“But it’s Chris! God, he can’t – I _don’t_ want to see him like this.”

Leonard sighed. “Talk to him. He might surprise you.”

_How, how the fuck is he supposed to surprise me? This is – THIS IS CHRIS we’re talking about. He plays Kirk, and he has to DIE._

_Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. How am I going to do this?_

* * *

They were scheduled to be at the Paramount studios stage set on January 4th. Zach was scheduled to arrive back in the Los Angeles area on the 2nd, his stuff already packed and ready to go by the time the last day of the year came. And yet, he still hadn’t even called Chris once to talk about the script, or to just – catch up. Their lives had been busy. Zach knew this. Chris had just landed the coveted Jack Ryan role as it came up for a reboot and was wrapping up voice recording sessions for Rise of the Guardians in between charity events. Zach, in his own right, had been terribly busy with Heroes and marketing while handling his production company, Before the Door Pictures.

So of course, December 31st, New Year’s Eve, bloomed dark and dreary in New York City. Zach wrapped up in a blanket in his apartment and snuggled with Noah (Harold completely ignoring him) as he picked up his phone. The script continued to sit on the coffee table, staring back at him with that daunting name _Star Trek Into Darkness_. He’d have to shred it before heading to Los Angeles – if it left his apartment, JJ Abrams would murder him, and what good would the sequel do without its prized Commander Spock?

Zach sighed and dialed Chris’s number. It rang five times before –

“Hello?” A sniffle was audible over the phone.

Zach did a double take and immediately wondered _what the fuck_ was going on. “Chris, what is – wait, are you watching _Up_ again?! _The Notebook_?! You KNOW those movies make you cry!”

The sniffles continued as whatever was playing in the background was paused. “Zach? Why are you – did you – fuck, did you read the script already?”

“READ THE SCRIPT? I’VE BEEN SITTING ON ITS WORDS SINCE BEFORE CHRISTMAS! But seriously, I told you not to watch _Up_ again. It lowers your immunity. Do you take your vitamin C daily?”

“Shit, man, stop babying me from across the country. I wasn’t watching _Up_. I was watching _Wrath of Khan_.”

Zach paused before continuing his rant. Noah had already jumped off the cough and was sitting in the doorway leading into the kitchen, paws over his ears. Zach sighed. “So you’ve also read it.”

“Oh my god, Zach, this is going to be awful. But I’m going to be ready. And Leonard and FUCK, SHATNER, HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO LIVE UP TO THAT?!!!”

“YOU’RE THE ONE DYING!”

Both seemed to realize just what they had been saying and if they could have seen each other through the phone, they would have blinked silently at each other. But, in the case of the ever silent heavy breathing and some sniffles, they seemed to still make the point with each other – they had hard work ahead of us.

“Sorry,” Zach murmured. “I know it won’t be easy – I just, I can’t believe they wrote that scene in.”

“The words are almost the fucking same. Just, Kirk’s going to die, and not… not Spock. Which is good, because that performance would kill mankind again, Zach, if Spock died again. But the good thing is –“

“– I don’t want to watch you die,” Zach whispered into the phone, interrupting Chris’s sentence.

“Zach, it’s going to be fine. Plus, Kirk’s already died in the other universe. I watched _Generations_ yesterday.”

“You’re preparing for this scene like crazy, aren’t you?”

“Yeah. We should watch _Wrath of Khan_ together when you get over here. Want to nail this right.”

“We don’t even know when we’re filming the scene, and you’re already a bawling mess. You’re still sniffling.”

Chris huffed out a laugh between sounds of coughs and snot tissue blows from the obvious nasal discharge occurring from all the previous crying. “They’ll tell us. You still coming down in time for first call on Wednesday?”

“I’ll be there.”

“Good.”

“Look, this scene – actually, not just this scene, but the one with Pike –“

“OH GOD, BRUCE IS GOING TO HAVE A FUCKING FIT. They’re killing him off!”

“Pike never lasted long in the Original TV series!”

“Motivation for Kirk. Damn.”

Zach shuddered. “This is going to be an awful couple of scenes.”

“Look at it this way, no matter how well we pull of this performance – we’ll still be alive. No one is actually dying.”

“You do not have enough practice in that line of work, Pine.”

He could hear the shrug on Chris’s end. “Whatever you say, Quinto. I should finish my movie. My sister is coming over later.”

“See you in a few days, loser.”

“Have a nice flight, asshole.”

And then they both hung up without another word.

Zach looked over at Noah, who was looking at his owner with a sad face. “Oh, don’t give me that look. I just – he’s CHRIS. He’s KIRK. He’s – amazing. God, why did fate have to do this to us?”

Noah stood up and trotted over, nudging Zach’s leg, as if saying ‘it’ll be okay, my human owner.’

Zach gave Noah’s head a good scratch and sighed once again. “ _Wrath of Khan_. I guess I should find it online somewhere. Come on, Noah, movie and popcorn time.”


End file.
